Carmen E. Arroyo

Carmen E. Arroyo (1936-) was a member of the New York General Assembly (D-84) from 28 February 1994, succeeding David Rosado.

Biography
Carmen E. Arroyo was born in Corozal, Puerto Rico in 1936, and she had seven children before her husband abandoned her and she moved to the United States. She settled in New York City in 1964 and settled in The Bronx, and she was forced to become dependent on welfare and public assistance. In 1966, she formed a South Bronx Action Group with other welfare mothers and provided her community with employment, healthcare, and adult education, and she was also instrumental in the construction of 194 housing units for senior citizens; she became the first Puerto Rican woman housing developer in the state of New York. In 1994, she was elected to the General Assembly as a Democrat, becoming the first Puerto Rican woman elected to any US state assembly. She was controversial for repeatedly failing to file her campaign finances, but she was popular for championing community housing.